Socket member and contact therefor



Dec. 14, 1954 s. M. DEL CAMP SOCKET MEMBER AND CONTACT THEREFOR 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Fla. 2.

Filed July 19, 1950 INVENTOR S umoua D EL CAMP,

ATTORNTEY Dec. 14, 1954 s. M. DEL CAMP SOCKET MEMBER AND CONTACTTHEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 19, 1950 \NvEmoR Scnmma M. DELCAMP, BY 8 9m J AOL ATTORNEY 2,697,210 SOCKET MEMBER AND CONTACTTHEREFOR Scipione M. Del Camp, Maywood, Ill., assignor to CinchManufacturing Corporation, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of IllinoisApplication July 19, 1950, Serial No. 174,609 2 Claims. (Cl. 339-14)This invention relates to improvements in socket devices and a contacttherefor for use in combination with electrical units providingprong-like terminals with one of the units shielded by a metal shielddevice.

One object of my invention is the provision of a socket body carrying agrounding contact which provides a spring arm for electrical engagementwith a metal shield surrounding a plug unit inserted into the socketbody from one side thereof and which also provides a contact portion forelectrical engagement with a prong terminal of a plug unit inserted intothe socket body from an opposite side thereof, thereby grounding theshield.

' my invention is the provision of a inspection set forth.

Referring to the drawings in which I have illustrated a preferredembodiment of my invention;

Fig. l is a side elevation of a socket member carrying my improvedgrounding contact in combination with a vacuum tube having a metalshield and a second plug unit;

Fig. 2 is a top view With the tube and shield Fig. 3 is her per se;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3, thegrounding contact being omitted;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken along the line 4-4 of Fig.

ig. 6 is an enlarged of the installation shown in Fig. 1 omitted; anenlarged bottom view of the socket mem- 3 with the grounding contactincluded;

section taken along the line 66 an enlarged section taken on the line 77top view of the grounding contact per se. to the preferred socketinstallation illustrated have shown a socket unit 1 carrying a series ofprong-receiving contacts 2 (Fig. 3) and a contact 3 (Fig. 3). upper sideof the socket body 1 and provides prong terminals 5 in electricalengagement with the contact members 2 through the upper side of thesocket body. A cylindrical metal shield 6 encloses the tube 4 andpreferably is disposed With its lower end 7 adjacent the upper surfaceof the socket body 1. A second plug unit 8 carries prong terminals 9which engage electrically the contact members 2 and the groundingcontact 3. Lead wires (not shown) are soldered to the terminals 9. mypreferred installation the plug unit 8 is secured to the under surface19 of a metal supporting plate 11 by means of the rivets 12. An opening13 is provided in the plate 11 into which the prong terminals 9 projectand which receives the socket unit 1 when the plug unit 3 and socketunit 1 are in electrical engagement.

Referring in detail to the construction of the socket unit 1, l haveprovided a socket body 14 which is p erably made of one piece ofinsulating material. body 14 provides a 2,697,210 Patented Dec. 14, 1954the aperture 16 and receiving the contact members 2 which may be of thetype illustrated and described in with my co-pendmg application, serialnumconnection ber 171,430. Each of 18 leading to the upper surface 19 ofthe socket body gages a contact member 2 when the nection.

The by a radially-disposed recess 22 which extends from the lowersurface 21 toward the upper surface 19 and terminates adjacent abutmentsaperture tend from the upper surface 19 downwardly and terminate atshoulders 27-27.

Referring particularly to the construction of the ground contact 3, thecontact is preferably made from one piece of spring metal and provides,as most clearly shown in Figs 5, '7 and 8, a pair of oppositely-facingvieldable arm passage 16. The hook-like portions 36-36 in the initialassembling action will In view of the tions 36-36 3030 disposed inalignment with the aperture 16 and extending through the passage 15 toposition the inwardly-extending portion 33 in spaced superposed relationto the upper surface 19 of the socket of the socket body providesportions 38 on opposite sides of the opening 15 which extend inwardlyinto the opening 15 adjacent the passage 16. The portions 38-38 arespaced apart a predetermined distance to engage the broad outer surface39 of the arms 2828 to hold the arms in proper spaced-apart relationshipto enable the bowed portions 30-30 to engage and resiliently grip theprong terminal 9 inserted therebetween.

In assembling the socket unit 1 with the plug unit 8, the socket body ismoved downwardly in the direction of the plug unit to engage the contactmembers 2 with an annular series of prong terminals 9 and the bowedportions 30-30 of the contact 3 with a prong terminal 9 disposedcentrally of the plug unit. The tube 4 is moved into engagement with thesocket unit by projecting the prong terminals 5 through the openings 18into engagement with the contact members 2. Thereafter the shield 6 ismoved downwardly over the tube 4 and as the lower end 7 of the shieldcontacts the camrning portion 34 of the spring arm 32 the arm is forcedoutwardly. As a result of the inherent resiliency of the arm 32, ittends to return toward normal position thereby engaging the outersurface of the shield under firm tension. Thus, it will be seen that thecontact 3 operates to ground the shield 6 by effecting an electricalcircuit through the arm 32 to the bowed elements 30 which are inelectrical connection with a lead-oif terminal 9.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of myinvention, 1 do not wish to be limited thereby as the scope of myinvention is best defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. An electrical socket installation comprising a one piece socket bodyhaving upper and lower surfaces, body carrying a plurality ofprong-receiving contact members and a grounding contact, said groundingcontact having a terminal grounding element extending above said uppersurface of said body and a prong-engaging portion,

a plug unit disposed adjacent the upper surface of said body havingprong terminals in electrical engagement with said contact membersthrough said upper surface, a metal shield member shielding said plugunit and electrically engaged with said grounding element, and a secondplug unit having a prong terminal in electrical engagement with saidprong-engaging portion of said grounding contact through said lowersurface of said socket body. 2. An electrical socket installationcomprising a one piece socket body having upper and lower surfaces, saidbody carrying a plurality of prong-receiving contact members and agrounding contact, said grounding contact having prong-engaging portionsin alignment with an opening in the lower surface of said body and aspring grounding arm extending through an opening in the upper surfaceof said body, a vacuum tube disposed adjacent the upper surface of saidbody having prong terminals in electrical engagement with said contactmembers through said upper surface, a metal shield member surroundingsaid tube, said spring grounding arm resiliently engaging the outersurface of said shield member, and a plug unit disposed adjacent thelower surface of said socket body, said unit having a prong terminal inelectrical engagement with said prong-engaging portion of said groundingcontact through said lower surface of said socket body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

